Despite the fires continuing to rage on, tourist attractions in Colorado are starting to reopen and other popular tourist areas still remain open.
Over the weekend, firefighters were able to make some progress and contain more of the fires in Waldo Canyon. Some evacuation orders have been lifted, so residents are starting to inspect the conditions of their homes and tourist areas are beginning to reopen.
On Saturday the Pikes Peak Cog Railway reopened since the Waldo Canyon fire is almost 50 percent contained and it had moved further west of the Air Force Academy. However the Fourth of July events at the Academy have been cancelled. Travel Weekly reported that the railway website said "Manitou Springs and the Railway Depot were not harmed in the fire ... Our heartfelt thanks go to the courageous men and women who have battled this blaze." It expresses sympathy to all those who lost homes or were harmed by fire.
Highway 24 in Colorado Springs has also been opened to all traffic in the area. The four lane highway had been closed, deterring road travelers from entering the region. All attractions in the Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak are also open, according to Colorado.com.
Travel Weekly also mentioned that Cave of the Winds and Garden of the Gods tourist attractions have also opened. When the Garden of the Gods Visitor and Nature Center reopened on Monday, Bonnie Frum, director of operations told Gazette, "The first day has been busy." Manager of Cave of the Wings, Daniel Carey said that 30 people rushed through the doors within the first five minutes of reopening.
The 50-year-old Flying W Ranch in Colorado Springs was one of the casualties of the fires. The mountain cattle ranch in the foothills of Colorado Springs burned down. The ranch's website says that they hope to rebuild.
Although there was a structural fire in Woodland Heights, near Estes Park, the fire was contained and busy tourist areas like Estes Park and the Rocky Mountain National Park are open. All of the hotels and attractions in the area are also open.
The Colorado tourist industry wants people to know that despite the fires, many tourist areas are still open, but people keep calling to cancel their plans. The Broadmoor Hotel near Colorado Springs is operating normally and housing some displaced hotel employees, yet tourists are still cancelling their reservations.
Scott Downs, owner of the Eagle Fire Lodge in Woodland Park, up the mountain from Colorado Springs told NPR about his business losses despite his lodge still being open.
"Well, at this time of year we are booked 100 percent. So when this fire started we started receiving cancelations. And we know now that for the month of July and the month of August as much as 60 percent of our reservations have been canceled or are in the process of being canceled" Down said.
Those in other parts of Colorado are worried that tourists are cancelling plans because of the sensationalism of the fires in the media. People are being turned off from parts of the state that aren't affected by the fires.
Mary Ann Mahoney, executive director of the Boulder Convention and Visitors Bureau, told Daily Camera, "We're working closely with the Colorado Tourism Office to make sure that information about the wildfires is accurate and not sensationalized."
For all updates about Colorado tourism and the wildfires, go to Colorado.com
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
